Gondwe said there was “tremendous development” that had been recorded since independence which he said is being overdhadowed by growing population.

“As a country we have made tremendous gains over the years but why the impact is not reflected on our economy, is because the gains have been dissipated by population growth,” said Gondwe on Tuesday at the opening of the National Population and Development Conference held at the Bingu International Convention Centre (BICC) in Lilongwe.

Gondwe also launched Demographic Dividend Report.

“The high population is exerting a lot of pressure to our economy,” said Gondwe, urging itizens to slow donw in making babies.

US Charge d’affaires, Andrew Herrup and UN Resident Coordinator, Mia Seppo, also expressed concerns over the growing population in the country and the two called on stakeholders to join hands.

“Curbing Malawi population growth requires multi-sectoral approach,” advised Herrup, and warned: “If we do not take the issue of population growth seriously, most of the MDGs we have achieved as a country will be lost.”

He said US government would continue to support Malawi through various programs such as ASPIRE – the project aimed at empowering girls through education and health; and the DREAMS project aimed at preventing the spread of HIV to girls and young women; and ACT program to ensure that HIV+ children – boys and girls – get the life-saving treatment they need.

UN Resident Coordinator, Seppo, observed that at no time had there been so many young people in the world in general and in Malawi in particular, hence the need for the country to enhance contraceptives among the youth, so as to ensure that “every pregnancy is wanted”.

The National Population Development Conference is scheduled to run from 6 – 8 September, 2016 and it has drawn participants from various sectors among them reproductive health, education, civil society organizations, development partners and the clergy.

The theme for the conference is ‘Empowering, Educating, and Employing Youth to Harness the Demographic Dividend and Achieve Sustainable Development in Malawi.’

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this does not compute economically. population growth adds to a working economy thereby boosting government coffers via increased tax earnings. Similarly, a country’s working population renews via retirements. if Gondwe’s summation means no one has retired; then government is making more money via tax earnings.

Malawi needs to seriously address public looting of government earnings. such denial is beyond belief and the uneconomic reasons being postured here would not even be raised by fresher university students in an economic class. stop re-inventing the wheel!

This population narrative has been running for a while now. The question is: How are our national plans and policies reflective of this fact? Are we playing our usual cluelessness waiting for the USA or Britain to tell us what to do? Matter of fact, population growth is not inherently negative. We can exploit the demographic dividend for our benefit. As the saying goes: There is strength in numbers. More people means increased aggregate demand, increased labour, more geniuses to solve problems etc. In fact, the Malawian scenario is not unique. It reflects what’s happening on the African continent as a whole. Other countries are however cleverly turning what we keep whinning about as a problem into a positive. The projection is that Africans will constitute 20% (currently 15%) of the world’s population by 2050. To put in perspective: There were 2 Europeans for every African in the 1970s. There will be 2 Africans for every European in 2030. Why can’t we put to profitable use the vast youth base of the population? Why should we be complaining of hunger when we have an energetic young population? What’s wrong with our Gross Domestic Mental Capacity?

GOODALL GONDWE AS MINISTER OF ECONOMIC PLANNING SHOULD BE AT THE FORE-FRONT TELLING US HOW THIS HIGH POPULATION GROWTH WILL BE TAMED. I HAVE HEARD HIM CRYING ABOUT THE SAME BUT WHO DO YOU EXPECT TO ACT. WE NEED MESSAGES IN RURAL AREAS AND SEMI-URBAN.

BESIDES, STOP STEALING MONEY FROM THE POOR SO THAT IT CAN BE CHANNELED TO SOCIAL AMMENITIES.

Theft of government resources by politicians like Kamuzu, Bakili, Bingu, Joyce Banda and Peter including Goodall and his colleagues meant for health delivery and hospitals, improvement of public infrastructure, improvement of schools is the real reason while we are in this sorry state. Malawians needs to repossess what you have accumulated on their back.

Last time I checked Malawi was a god fearing nation and a solid conservative for that matter. Now the minister is trying to infuse liberal agenda in our society instead of acknowledging the failure of his government.

You needed to explain what you mean by infuse liberal agenda, otherwise it appears like you have an axe to grind with the minister.

Population of Malawi is high =Fact
Population is all young = Fact
Young population does not produce anything = Fact
Young population are citizens and should use facilities = Fact
Therefore not enough to go round = Fact
Large idle population neutralizes whatever economic progress the country makes = Fact

Point to something the minister said that allude to infusing liberal agenda.

Open minded discussion is= good for the country
Closed mind (preconceived) =Bad for the country

Chembe you’re talking nonsense. What liberal agenda? As Baba says, our population problem is a FACT. We have a small tax base paying for the health and education of too many people. Many NGOs and think-tanks warned us. At some point we had the highest population growth in the world.

Imagine we’re now having to import fertilisers to feed ourselves because our land, in its natural state, cannot sustain us. It’s absurd. And it’s down-right deplorable that this “Minister” is only talking about this now instead of articulating comprehensive policies to tackle the problem (something that should’ve started in the 90s)

What I have observed in Africa and African educated men and Women is that education is not to improve their nations but to build there own businesses by stealing government resources. Look at Malawians who are in Cashgate. All Åre educated. Including presidents are educated. If people like them who should build a nation steal then who is going to build Malawi? Malawians call themselves people of God
They are thieves. Western people who are educated are the ones who built their nations. Why Western nations help Africa with education? Gondwe is un idiot. Look at Seppo she is angry because she knows that Fonder is talking rubish. Malawians are born thieves. They were stealing even
During Kamuzu. I hate Malawians.I love my nation. To Day I wish muzungu could Rule Malawi.